Collapsible tire-building form



July 19 1927.

F. JOHNSON COLLAPSIBLE; TIRE BUILDING FORM Filed Marcfi so} 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR fRFlN/f -L. U'UHNSU N Bk A TTORNEY) July 19,1927. 1,636,055

F.L. JOHNSON 'COLLAPSIBLE THE BUILDING FORM Filed March so. 1927 2'Sheets Sheet z I N VEN TOR.

ERF NK L. 'L'fDHN-S UN BY fl 7 iy ciur f ATTORNEY} Patented "Jul 19,1927'.

' UNITED, STATES;

1,636,056 PATENT OFFICE.

I mam: L. .romvsou. or AKRbN, onro;

COLLAiSIIBLE TIRE-BUILDING 101m.

Application filed March so, 1927. Serial no. 1 29,1516,

The invention relates to the art of tire manufacture and particularly,to improved collapsing mechanism for use with collapsible tire buildingforms or drums. The invention is particularly-adapted and intended foruse with drums of the type and form used in the similar facility inreassembling the drum.

The mechanism shownherein is particularly adapted for this purpose, theweight of the drum being used as the motive power for collapsing thesections or parts thereof.

The showing in the description and drawings is for the purpose ofexplaining andillustrating the invention and is not intended to berestrictive of the scopeor extent of the invention, as changes ormodifications of the invention may be suggested to those 'skilled inthis art. The claims are, therefore, to be construed in the light of theprior art and are intended to'cover such changes or improvements on theinvention as may fall within a fair interpretation of their language andintent.

In the drawings, in which the referred embodiment of the inventionis ilustrated:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drum havingthe im roved collapsingmechanism adapted to an associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 f F' 1. m o lgure The formor drum comprises a plurality of sections, certain of which are hingedtogether or to a common actuating means, and a key sections which, withthe hinged sections, completes the form orv drum proper when thesections are in assembled or circular form. The main body ofthe form,which is constituted by the hinged sections, is freely, movable. by itsown weight, toward and from the center or axis of the form. and thehinged sections are connected to the center of the form so that as thebody moves toward the" axis, the hinged sections are rocked toward thecenter of the form. Broadly described, the body of the form may consistof a number of movable sections which are actuated toward and from thegenlter of the core by the movement of the In the form shown, the drumcom rises two sections 2 and 3, which may be esignated as the movable orhinged sections, and

a stationary or key section 4 which'occupies the position-between theends of the movable- The swinging or hinged sections sections. areprovided with inwardly projectin webs or lugs 5, to which are rigidlysecure links 6, the ends of which project toward one another and arepivoted on bolts to the upper end of a carrier or slide 8 which ismovable in a guideway 10 formed in a central sup:

porting plate or chuck 11. The rear face of the chuck is formed with asocket 12 in which the drum supporting and rotating shaft 14 isreceived.

The central supporting plate is provided with parallel. radial arms 15,to the outer ends of which are secured stra s 16, which are, in turn,secured to a we or lug 20 formed on the key section 4 so that the latteris rigidly supported at a fixed distance from the core axis determinedby the location of the shaft 14-.

To the front of the chuck 11 is secured a cover plate 21 which retainsthe slide 8 in itsguideway, and mounted in .the cover plate, in positionto enter a socket 24 in. the slide, is a lock pin 25. The lock pin has astem 28 which is received and guided within a barrel 29 fastened to thecover plate, a spring 30 surrounding the stem within the barrel andurging the lock pin inwardly. When the form is in the position shown inFigure 1. with the key section downwardly, and the lock pin iswithdrawn, the slide 8 will drop through the guide carrying the hingedsections with it and also carrying the tire which has been'built upon itaway from the key section. The slide will move downwardly until its endstrikes the lug 20, a

rubber bumper 32 being mounted on the lug carried in webs 39 extendingfrom the chuck,

plate. It will be observed that as the form body drops as shown, thelinks 35 will act to rock the sections 2 and 3 inwardly so that theyoccupy the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. It will also benoted that provision must be made to allow the ends of theswingingsections to clear the ends of the stationary section-before thelinkstake effect. This is accomplished by the provision of slots 40 atthe ends of the links where the pins 38 pass through the links.

When the tire has been removed from the drum'in collapsed position andit is desired to re-erect the drum for the building of further tires,the drum is revolved through 180, the pin 25 bein withdrawn,-whereuponthe drum-body wi lfall back into place, the swinging sides expand andthe pin may be inserted in place. To stop the movement of the drum bodyat its inward limit of movement a pin or stop 42 is attached to the Yslide, being received in sockets 43 on the cover-plate and chuck body.Rubber sleeves 44 surround the pin and cushion the movement in thatdirection.

The operation of the device will have been readily understood from thedescription and no further statement thereon is necessary. It will benoted that an extremely simple, easily operated and effective device hasbeen obtained, which will operate to collapse the drum without loss oftime or effort on the the carrier, and connections to the movable.sections adapted to move them inwardly upon movement of the carriertoward the axis of the form.

2. A collapsible tire building form, comprising a'plurality of sections,one of the sections being stationary, a carrier, means to retain thecarrier in its outermost position, a

guideway in which the carrier is slidable,

. swin in sections ivoted on the carrier and links connected to theswinging sections and adapted to swing them inwardly upon movement ofthe carrier toward the axis of the form. a

A collapsibletire buildin form, comprising a supporting plate an aplurality of sections, one of the sections being rigidly toward the axisof the form upon movementof the slide toward the axis of the form.

4. A collapsible tire building form, com-- prising a supporting plateand a plurality of sections, one of the sections being rigidly supportedby the plate, a guideway in the plate, a slide movable in the guideway,oertain of the sections being movably mounted upon the slide, andconnections between the ends of the movable sections and the supportingplate adapted to move the sections toward the axis of the form uponmovement of the slide toward the axis of the form, the connectionsproviding for lost motion at the commencement of the movement of theslide.

5, A collapsible tire buildin form, comprising a supporting plate and aplurality of sections, one otthe sections being rigidly "attacheddirectly .to the plate, a guideway in the plate, a slide movable in theguideway, certain ofthe sections being pivoted upon the slide, andconnections, having provision for lost motion, extending from the endsof the pivoted sections to the-supporting plate adapted to rock theswinging sections toward the axis of the form upon movement of the slidein the guidewa 6: A collapsible tire building form, comprising asupporting plate and a plurality of sections, one of the sections beingrigidly. attached directly. to the plate, a guideway in the plate, aslide movable in the guideway, certain of thesections being pivoted uponthe slide, connections, having provision for lost motion, extending fromthe ends of the pivoted sections to the supporting plate adapted to rockthe swinging sections toward the axis of the form upon movement of theslide in the guideway, and a lock to hold the slide at its outer limitof movement.

FRANK L. JOHNSON.

